Bridging Language Barriers in Data Analysis for Constructivist Grounded Theory Research: A Case Study in Chinese Context

Authors

Wenyu Li, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, The University of DublinFollow
Catherine Elliott O’Dare, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, The University of DublinFollow
Catherine Conlon, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, The University of DublinFollow

Abstract

Qualitative studies across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts are rising in global social settings. However, literature addressing the potential methodology challenges of conducting such research using constructivist grounded theory (CGT) remains limited. This paper, therefore, highlights potential challenges in the data analysis phase of cross-cultural research using CGT and suggests a three-phase language conversion strategy to minimize data loss while avoiding superficial analysis based on my Ph.D. research experience, where interviews are conducted in Chinese while the target language is English. Additionally, this paper reflects on the role of bilingual researchers in CGT cross-cultural studies, exploring how the bilingual research identity can enhance research depth and validity. If the interview language is the researcher's native language, keeping the transcript in the original language and performing initial coding in the interview language will minimize data loss of implicit cultural meaning and achieve better conceptualization results. A more optimal strategy is to deploy a bilingual model in the focused coding stage and a written analysis draft in the target language, balancing analytical depth with linguistic accuracy. For bilingual researchers, the identity of a cultural insider offers numerous research benefits. Nonetheless, enhancing collaboration with target-language researchers and remaining vigilant against cultural biases is advisable. This paper will contribute to CGT methodology to some extent and serve as a valuable reference for cross-language research.

Keywords

cross-language research, constructivist grounded theory, bilingual researchers, descriptive qualitative analysis, language conversion

Author Bio(s)

Wenyu Li is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Her doctoral research focuses on aged care expectations of the younger-old population in China, using a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach. Her research interests include intergenerational relationships, aged care, and qualitative research methodologies. ORCID id is Wenyu Li (0000-0001-8570-8486). Please direct correspondence to liw7@tcd.ie

Dr. Catherine Elliott O’Dare is Assistant Professor of Social Policy at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. As a social scientist, Catherine’s research focuses on the social aspects of ageing, with an overarching emphasis on equality and social inclusion, and on qualitative research methods. Catherine’s recent research on intergenerational friendship and ageism has generated high-impact publications, including in the Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue Canadienne du vieillissement, Journal of Aging Studies, Ageing and Society, Social Inclusion, and two co-authored methodological papers published in Qualitative Health Research, and the International Journal of Qualitative Methods. TCD Profile: https://people.tcd.ie/Profile?Username=ELLIOT ORCID: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0003-1624-1872 Please direct correspondence to elliot@tcd.ie

Dr. Catherine Conlon is Associate Professor, Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin and Head of the School of Social Work and Social Policy. Her research focuses on reproduction policy, the social politics of reproduction, their effects on positionality, and the gendered ordering of roles and relations. She was PI of the service user research strand informing the statutory review of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, and her recent research was a HEA North-South Research Project Award ReproCit researching empirical formations of reproductive citizenship, in partnership with Dr. Fiona Bloomer, Ulster University. ORCID id is Catherine Conlon (0000-0001-6744-7382). Please direct correspondence to conlonce@tcd.ie

Publication Date

10-23-2025

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2025.8429

Recommended APA Citation

Li, W., O'Dare, C. E., & Conlon, C. (2025). Bridging language barriers in data analysis for constructivist grounded theory research: A case study in Chinese context. The Qualitative Report, 30(10), 4415-4429. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2025.8429

ORCID ID

0000-0001-8570-8486